In conventional drilling systems, such as indicated in FIG. 1A, a thrust bearing 10 is installed at the end face 12 of a rotating shaft 14 to substantially maintain the shaft in a given position within a housing 13 and relative to a longitudinal axis 15 of the drilling system. For example, the thrust bearing 10 opposes an axial load 16 generated by the shaft 14 during operation to maintain the longitudinal positioning of the shaft. The axial or thrust load 16 can be relatively high for mud pumps, such as used in drilling for the oil and gas industry, and for other rotating equipment, such as large gas and steam turbines as well as blowers, for example.